Burning Man 2013

Our story begins in Melanesia during World War II. Thousands of American GIs suddenly descended on this South Sea island chain, bearing with them unimaginable riches: magical foodstuffs that never spoiled, inconceivable power sources. Just as abruptly the troops departed, leaving only broken, rusted Jeeps, crumpled beer cans, and the memory of Spam. To the astonished eyes of the natives, this was a miraculous occurrence, and they yearned for the return of abundance. Accordingly, they built totemic sky-craft in an attempt to summon back these Visitors and their legendary leader, the man the Melanesians called John Frum. They had formed a Cargo Cult.

This Myth of Return is no less relevant today. To put this in a modern context, what if your electricity went dead and stayed that way -- would you know how to make the current flow again? Can you fix your car if it breaks down, or build yourself a new one? Like the islanders, most of us are many steps removed from the Cargo that entirely shapes our lives. We don't know how it's made, where it's made, or how it works; all we can do is look beyond the sky and pray for magic that will keep consumption flowing.

Burning Man 2013 will court the return of our benevolent Visitors from Elsewhere by constructing an enormous replica of their sky-craft, hewn from the primitive materials of our backwater planet. Burning Man will stand atop this streamlined structure, majestically revolving like an interstellar beacon. Within this three-decked vessel participants will encounter the Temple of the Navigator, a shrine that features six hand-operated zoetropes that will function as prayer wheels. These will rehearse what little we know, or believe we know, of John Frum's story. A sweeping observation ring surrounding this central chamber will afford panoramic views of both the playa and our city.

We feel sure our theme will attract many alien Visitors, and hope this will stimulate our planet's faltering economy. To that end, we invite artists to create altars that may be placed in the vicinity of Burning Man's pavilion. These installations should be portable and easily removable from our burn circle. Participants are encouraged to contribute propitiatory offerings to these Space Age shrines. Artists are also invited to propose homemade interactive technology that may be installed on our saucer's upper Flight Deck (consult our online Art Guidelines for details).

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I saw some alien art cars, and space themed camp last year for sure. I kind of like the idea, it feels like you are on the moon anyway out there in my opinion. But, agree to disagree, it seems as though not that many people even embrace the themes and do their own thing anyway.

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Egull, meaning the alien thing hasn't been a main theme. I like the idea of a culture left behind, but why does it have to be aliens? It's just my personal beef. I can't wait to see the pictures regardless.

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I went in '96 with some San Francisco friends who have returned many times since, but I will not be going back. It was incredible, but it is so much work and energy. I'm too far from that place at this point in my life.

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Originally Posted by ENluv12

I have never been and I don't really have any friends who go (that I know of). I don't know a whole lot about it... but what you just said it seems like a lot to do.

It is definitely a lot of work, a lot of planning, and can be really expensive depending on how you do it. But, it is so worth the effort, and it is long enough that you can justify the months of planning. Plus, your first time you go you can't possibly prepare for everything, or you may forget something, but at Burning Man, someone will always have your back.

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'98 theme: Nebulous Entity-Burning Man returned to the Black Rock Desert although much closer to Gerlach than before. The "Nebulous Entity" was Harvey's satirical concept of alien beings who thrive on information—who consume it but do not understand it. and they had an "Alien Abduction Chamber" haha.. awesome.

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Now that I have been I cannot imagine not going to Burning Man:-) Preparation can be as involved as you want it to be or as minimal as a week long camping trip where you have to pack in your own water can be. I have been to a few wonderful festivals but nothing quite compares to the burn. We already have our theme camp ideas for this year so the "theme" won't really change anything for us but the proposed structure for the man is absolutely cool! Cannot wait and the planning is part of the whole wonderful mess:-)

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This looks great! I might finally take my first venture out there.

My most pressing question would be should I bring my camera, or just forget pictures and enjoy the experience. (I'm a freelance photographer so it's hard to imagine seeing so many amazing things and not having a camera with me) But I can see it getting in the way for some people. Any advice from those of you who have gone before?

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If you're any type of creative - have gear that you can get dirty - yeah my point and shoot got destroyed a few weeks after all the playa dust caked into it, but the shots I got were well worth the camera, which I replaced for $50 off of CL - Canon 1400s elph.

I brought my XHA1 out there also, covered it in a cloth housing and cut a piece of plexiglass and covered that over the hood. Gear may not look brand new and pretty when you come back, but the shots you got will possibly interest you in having a set of a gear that can get dirty.

Just keep the brand new 5D Mark III with the $1000 lens at home if that's your money maker and you're afraid of hurting it. If you bring it out, bring some good housing and don't second guess a shot in a dust storm if its worth it. Just take the shot, if you don't get it, take it again, if it doesn't work out - you should have been taking a high quality video

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Solid advice thanks!

I'll definitely have to look into a decent housing case. I have a point and shoot I won't mind ruining, but I'll definitely want to bust out my main camera at some point. Good thing I have plenty of time to find something good haha. Either that or I'll just try to find something relatively cheap on craigslist like you suggested
;;

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The 1400S Elph is still 14.1 Megapixels and shoots in 720p, with a pretty decent non digital zoom that stays in focus (I FUCKING HATE DIGITAL GAIN) and has a pretty decent range of fstop and iso for a P&S - yeah you don't wanna miss out, but don't be a guy holding up your camera the whole time like at Coachella, you'll find the right moments to take a snap shot, but there are some moments (Such as the temple burn) where you just need to put the camera down and appreciate the magic that you can only capture so much of

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I brought my DSLR and my GoPro last year, I brought my GoPro with me everywhere, but just brought my DSLR on a couple bike rides around the playa when there were not storms happening. It is definitely worth bringing, I just suggest locking it in your car when you are not using it. The GoPro is awesome, because you can just turn it on and shoot everything. I posted this in the old BM thread, but here is the little video I put together from my GoPro last year.

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Burning Man 2013 will court the return of our benevolent Visitors from Elsewhere by constructing an enormous replica of their sky-craft, hewn from the primitive materials of our backwater planet. Burning Man will stand atop this streamlined structure, majestically revolving like an interstellar beacon. Within this three-decked vessel participants will encounter the Temple of the Navigator, a shrine that features six hand-operated zoetropes that will function as prayer wheels. These will rehearse what little we know, or believe we know, of John Frum's story. A sweeping observation ring surrounding this central chamber will afford panoramic views of both the playa and our city.